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- TITLE III
- PROVISIONS AMENDING THE TREATY ESTABLISHING THE EUROPEAN COAL AND STEEL
- COMMUNITY
-
- ARTICLE H
- The Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community shall be amended
- in accordance with the provisions of this Article.
-
- 1) Article 7 shall be replaced by the following:
- "ARTICLE 7
- The institutions of the Community shall be:
- - a HIGH AUTHORITY (hereinafter referred to as "the Commission");
- - a COMMON ASSEMBLY (hereinafter referred to as "the European Parliament");
- - a SPECIAL COUNCIL OF MINISTERS (hereinafter referred to as "the Council");
- - a COURT OF JUSTICE;
- - a COURT OF AUDITORS.
- The Commission shall be assisted by a Consultative Committee."
-
- 2) The following Articles shall be inserted:
- "ARTICLE 9
- 1. The Commission shall consist of seventeen members, who shall be chosen on
- the grounds of their general competence and whose independence is beyond
- doubt.
- The number of members of the Commission may be altered by the Council, acting
- unanimously.
- Only nationals of the Member States may be members of the Commission.
- The commission must include at least one national of each of the Member
- States, but may not include more than two members having the nationality of
- the same State.
- 2. The members of the Commission shall, in the general interest of the
- Community, be completely independent in the performance of their duties.
- In the performance of these duties, they shall neither seek nor take
- instructions from any government or from any other body., They shall refrain
- from any action incompatible with their duties. Each Member State undertakes
- to respect this principle and not to seek to influence the members of the
- Commission in the performance of their tasks.
- The members of the Commission may not, during their term of office, engage in
- any other occupation whether gainful or not. When entering upon their duties
- they shall give a solemn undertaking that, both during and after their term of
- office, they will respect the obligations arising therefrom and in particular
- their duty to behave with integrity and discretion as regards the acceptance,
- after they have ceased to hold office, of certain appointments or benefits. In
- the event of any breach of these obligations, the Court of Justice may, on
- application by the Council or the Commission, rule that the member concerned
- be, according to the circumstances, either compulsorily retired in accordance
- with Article 12a or deprived of his right to a pension or other benefits in
- its stead.
- ARTICLE 10
- 1. The members of the Commission shall be appointed in accordance with the
- procedure referred to in paragraph 2, for a period of five years, subject, if
- need be, to Article 24.
- Their term of office shall be renewable.
- 2. The governments of the Member States shall nominate by common accord, after
- consulting the European Parliament, the person they intend to appoint as
- President of the Commission.
- The governments of the Members States shall, in consultation with the nominee
- for the President, nominate the other persons whom they intend to appoint as
- members of the Commission.
- The President and the other members of the Commission thus nominated shall be
- subject as a body to a vote of approval by the European Parliament. After
- approval by the European Parliament, the President and the other members of
- the Commission shall be appointed by common accord of the Member States.
- 3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be applied for the first time to the President and
- the other members of the Commission whose term of office begins on 7 January
- 1995.
- The President and the other members of the Commission whose term of office
- beings on 7 January 1993 shall be appointed by common accord of the
- governments of the Member States. Their term of office shall expire on 6
- January 1995.
- ARTICLE 11
- The Commission may appoint a Vice-President or two Vice-Presidents from among
- its members.
- ARTICLE 12
- Apart from normal replacement, or death, the duties of a member of the
- Commission shall end when he resigns or is compulsorily retired.
- The vacancy thus caused shall be filled for the remainder of the members term
- of office by a new member appointed by common accord of the governments of the
- Member States. The Council may, acting unanimously, decide that such a vacancy
- need not be filled.
- In the event of resignation, compulsory retirement or death, the President
- shall be replaced for the remainder of his term of office. The procedure laid
- down in Article 10(2) shall be applicable for the replacement of the
- President.
- Save in the case of compulsory retirement under Article 12a, members of the
- Commission shall remain in office until they have been replaced.
- ARTICLE 12a
- If any member of the Commission no longer fulfils the conditions required for
- the performance of his duties or if he has been guilty of serious misconduct,
- the Court of Justice may, on application by the Council or the Commission,
- compulsorily retire him.
- ARTICLE 13
- The Commission shall act by a majority of the number of members provided for
- in Article 9.
- A meeting of the Commission shall be valid only if the number of members laid
- down in its rules of procedure is present."
-
- 3) Article 16 shall be replaced by the following:
- "ARTICLE 16
- The Commission shall make all appropriate administrative arrangements for the
- operation of its departments.
- It may set up study committees, including an economic study committee.
- The Council and the Commission shall consult each other and shall settle by
- common accord their methods of cooperation.
- The Commission shall adopt its rules of procedure so as to ensure that both it
- and its departments operate in accordance with the provisions of this Treaty.
- It shall ensure that these rules are published."
-
- 4) The following article shall be inserted:
- "ARTICLE 17
- The commission shall publish annually, not later than one month before the
- opening of the session of the European Parliament, a general report on the
- activities of the Community."
-
- 5) The following subparagraph shall be added to Article 18:
- "The Council shall, acting by a qualified majority, determine any payment to
- be made instead of remuneration."
-
- 6) The following Articles shall be inserted:
- "ARTICLE 20a
- The European Parliament may, acting by a majority of its members, request the
- Commission to submit any appropriate proposal on matters which it considers
- that a Community act is required for the purpose of implementing this Treaty.
- ARTICLE 20b
- In the course of its duties, the European Parliament may, at the request of a
- quarter of its members, set up a temporary Committee of Inquiry to
- investigate, without prejudice to the powers conferred by this Treaty on other
- institutions or bodies, alleged contraventions or maladministration in the
- implementation of Community law, except where the alleged facts are being
- examined before a Court and while the case is still subject to legal
- proceedings.
- The temporary Committee of Inquiry shall cease to exist on the submission of
- its report.
- The detailed provisions governing the exercise of the right of inquiry shall
- be determined by common accord of the European Parliament, the Council, and
- the Commission.
- ARTICLE 20c
- Any citizen of the Union, and any natural or legal person residing or having
- its registered office in a Member State, shall have the right to address,
- individually or in association with other citizens or persons, a petition to
- the European Parliament on a matter which comes within the Community's field's
- of activity and which affects him, her or it directly.
- ARTICLE 20d
- 1. The European Parliament shall appoint an Ombudsman empowered to receive
- complaints from any citizen of the Union or any natural or legal person
- residing or having its registered office in a Member State concerning
- instances of maladministration in the activities of the Community institutions
- or bodies, with the exception of the Court of Justice and the Court of First
- Instance acting in their judicial role.
- In accordance with his duties, the Ombudsman shall conduct enquiries for which
- he finds grounds, either on his own initiative or on the basis of complaints
- submitted to him direct or through a member of the European Parliament, except
- where the alleged facts are or have been the subject of legal proceedings.
- Where the Ombudsman establishes an instance of maladministration, he shall
- refer the matter to the institution concerned, which shall have a period of
- three months in which to inform him of its views. The Ombudsman shall then
- forward a report to the European Parliament, and the institution concerned.
- The person lodging the complaint shall be informed of the outcome of such
- inquiries.
- The Ombudsman shall submit an annual report to the European Parliament on the
- outcome of his inquiries.
- 2. The Ombudsman shall be appointed after each election of the European
- parliament for the duration of its term of office. The Ombudsman shall be
- eligible for reappointment.
- The Ombudsman may be dismissed by the Court of Justice at the request of the
- European Parliament if he no longer fulfils the conditions required for the
- performance of his duties or if he is guilty of serious misconduct.
- 3. The Ombudsman shall be completely independent in the performance of his
- duties. In the performance of those duties he shall neither seek nor take
- instructions from any body. The Ombudsman may not, during his term of office,
- engage in any other occupation, whether gainful or not.
- 4. The European Parliament shall, after seeking an opinion from the Commission
- and with the approval of the Council acting by a qualified majority, lay down
- the regulations and general conditions governing the performance of the
- Ombudsman's duties."
-
- 7) Paragraph 3 of Article 21 shall be replaced by the following:
- "3. The European Parliament shall draw up proposals for elections by direct
- universal suffrage in accordance with a uniform procedure in all Member
- States.
- The Council shall, acting unanimously after obtaining the assent of the
- European Parliament, which shall act by a majority of its component members,
- lay down the appropriate provisions, which it shall recommend to Member States
- for adoption in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements."
-
- 8) Article 24 shall be replaced by the following:
- "ARTICLE 24
- The European Parliament shall discuss in open session the general report
- submitted to it by the Commission.
- If a motion of censure on the activities of the Commission is tabled before
- it, the European Parliament shall not vote thereon until at least three days
- after the motion has been tabled and only by open vote.
- If a motion of censure is carried by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast,
- representing a majority of the members or the European Parliament, the members
- of the Commission shall resign as a body. They shall continue to deal with
- current business until they are replaced in accordance with Article 10. In
- this case, the term of office the members of the Commission appointed to
- replace them shall expire on the date on which the term of office of the
- members of the Commission obliged to resign as a body would have expired."
-
- 9) The following Articles shall be inserted:
- "ARTICLE 27
- The Council shall consist of a representative of each Member State at a
- ministerial level, authorized to commit the government of that Member State.
- The office of President shall be held in turn by each Member State in the
- Council for a term of six months, in the following order of Member States:
- - for a first cycle of six years: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain,
- France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom;
- - for the following cycle of six years: Denmark, Belgium, Greece, Germany,
- France, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, United Kingdom,
- Portugal.
- ARTICLE 27a
- The Council shall meet when convened by its President on his own initiative or
- at the request of one of its members or of the Commission."
-
- 10) The following Article shall be inserted:
- "ARTICLE 29
- The Council shall, acting by a qualified majority, determine the salaries,
- allowances and pensions of the President and members of the Commission, and of
- the President, Judges, Advocates-General and Registrar of the Court of
- Justice. It shall also, again by a qualified majority, determine any payment
- to be made instead of remuneration,
- ARTICLE 30
- 1. A committee consisting of the Permanent Representatives of the Member
- States shall be responsible for preparing the work of the Council and for
- carrying out the tasks assigned to it by the Council.
- 2. The Council shall be assisted by a General Secretariat, under the direction
- of a Secretary General. The Secretary-General shall be appointed by the
- Council acting unanimously.
- The Council shall decide on the organization of the General Secretariat.
- 3. The Council shall adopt its rules of procedure."
-
- 11) Article 32 shall be replaced by the following;
- "ARTICLE 32
- The Court of Justice shall consist of thirteen Judges.
- The Court of Justice shall sit in plenary session. It may, however, form
- Chambers, each consisting of three or five Judges, either to undertake certain
- preparatory inquiries, or to adjudicate on particular categories of cases in
- accordance with the rules laid down for these purposes.
- The Court of Justice shall sit in plenary session when a Member State or a
- Community institution that is a party to the proceedings so requests.
- Should the Court of Justice so request, the Council may, acting unanimously,
- increase the number of Judges and make the necessary adjustments to the second
- and third paragraphs of this Article and to the second paragraph of Article
- 32b."
-
- 12) Article 32d shall be replaced by the following:
- "ARTICLE 32d
- 1. A Court of First Instance shall be attached to the Court of Justice with
- jurisdiction to hear and determine at first instance, subject to a right of
- appeal to the Court of Justice on points of law only and in accordance with
- the conditions laid down by the Statute, certain classes of action or
- proceeding defined in accordance with the conditions laid down by the Statute,
- certain classes of action or proceeding defined in accordance with the
- conditions laid down in paragraph 2. The Court of First Instance shall not be
- competent to hear and determine questions referred for a preliminary ruling
- under Article 41.
- 2. At the request of the Court of Justice and after consulting the European
- Parliament and the Commission, the Council, acting unanimously, shall
- determine the classes of action or proceeding referred to in paragraph 1, and
- the composition of the Court of First instance and shall adopt the necessary
- adjustments and additional provisions to the Statute of the Court of Justice.
- Unless the Council decides otherwise, the provisions of this Treaty relating
- to the Court of Justice, in particular the provisions of the Protocol on the
- Statute of the Court of Justice, shall apply to the Court of the First
- Instance.
- 3. The members of the Court of First instance shall be chosen from persons
- whose independence is beyond doubt and who possess the ability required for
- appointment to judicial office; they shall be appointed by common accord of
- the governments of the Member States for a term of six years. The membership
- shall be partially renewed every three years. Retiring members shall be
- eligible for re-appointment.
- 4. The Court of First Instance shall establish its rules of procedure in
- agreement with the Court of Justice. Those rules shall require the unanimous
- approval of the Council."
-
- 13) Article 33 shall be replaced by the following:
- "ARTICLE 33
- The Court of Justice shall have jurisdiction in actions brought by a Member
- State or by the Council to have decisions or recommendations of the Commission
- declared void on grounds of lack of competence, infringement of an essential
- procedural requirement, infringement of this Treaty or of any rule of law
- relating to its application, or misuse of powers. The Court of Justice may
- not, however, examine the evaluation of the situation, resulting from economic
- facts or circumstances, in the light of which the Commission took its
- decisions or made its recommendations, save where the Commission is alleged to
- have misused its powers or to have manifestly failed to observe the provisions
- of the Treaty or any rule of law relating to its application.
- Undertakings or associations referred to in Article 48 may, under the same
- conditions, institute proceedings against decisions or recommendations
- concerning them which are individual in character or against general decisions
- or recommendations which they consider to involve a misuse of powers affecting
- them.
- The proceedings provided for in the first two paragraphs of the Article shall
- be instituted within one month of the notification or publication, as the case
- may be, of the decision or recommendation.
- The Court of Justice shall have jurisdiction under the same conditions in
- actions brought by the European Parliament for the purpose of protecting its
- prerogatives."
-
- 14) The following chapter shall be inserted:
- "CHAPTER V
- THE COURT OF AUDITORS
- ARTICLE 45a
- The Court of Auditors shall carry out the audit.
- ARTICLE 45b
- 1. The Court of Auditors shall consist of twelve members.
- 2. The members of the Court of Auditors shall be chosen from among persons who
- belong or have belonged in their respective countries to external audit bodies
- or who are especially qualified for this office. Their independence must be
- beyond doubt.
- 3. The members of the Court of Auditors shall be appointed for a term of six
- years by the Council, acting unanimously after consulting the European
- Parliament.
- However, when the first appointments are made, four members of the Court of
- Auditors, chosen by lot, shall be appointed for a term of office of four years
- only.
- The members of the Court of Auditors shall be eligible for reappointment.
- They shall elect the President of the Court of Auditors from among their
- number for a term of three years. The President may be re-elected.
- 4. The members of the Court of Auditors shall, in the general interest of the
- Community, be completely independent in the performance of their duties.
- In the performance of theses duties, they shall neither seek nor take
- instructions from any government or from any other body. They shall refrain
- from any action incompatible with their duties.
- 5. The members of the Court of Auditors may not, during their term of office,
- engage in any other occupation, whether gainful or not. When entering upon
- their duties they shall give a solemn undertaking that, both during and after
- their term of office, they will respect the obligations arising therefrom and
- in particular their duty to behave with integrity and discretion as regards
- the acceptance, after they have ceased to hold office, of certain appointments
- or benefits.
- 6. Apart from normal replacement, or death, the duties of a member of the
- Court of Auditors shall end when he resigns, or is compulsorily retired by a
- ruling of the Court of Justice pursuant to paragraph 7.
- The vacancy thus caused shall be filled for the remainder of the member's term
- of office.
- Save in the case of compulsory retirement, members of the Court of Auditors
- shall remain in office until they have been replaced.
- 7. A member of the Court of Auditors may be deprived of his office or of his
- right to a pension or other benefits in its stead only if the Court of
- Justice, at the request of the Court of Auditors, finds that he no longer
- fulfills the requisite conditions or meets the obligations arising from his
- office.
- 8. The Council, acting by a qualified majority, shall determine the conditions
- of employment of the President and the members of the Court of Auditors and in
- particular their salaries, allowances and pensions. It shall also, by the same
- majority, determine any payment to be made instead of remuneration.
- 9. The provisions of the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the
- European Communities applicable to the Judges of the Court of Justice shall
- also apply to the members of the Court of Auditors.
- ARTICLE 45c
- 1. The Court of Auditors shall examine the accounts of all revenue and
- expenditure of the Community. It shall also examine the accounts of all
- revenue and expenditure of all bodies set up by the Community in so far as the
- relevant constituent instrument does not preclude such examination.
- The Court of Auditors shall provide the European Parliament and the Council
- with a statement of assurance as to the reliability of the accounts and the
- legality and regularity of the underlying transactions.
- 2. The Court of Auditors shall examine whether all revenue referred to in
- paragraph 1 has been received and all expenditure referred to in that
- paragraph has been incurred in a lawful and regular manner and whether the
- financial management has been sound.
- The audit of expenditure shall be carried out on the basis both of commitments
- undertaken and payments made.
- These audits may be carried out before the closure of accounts for the
- financial year in question.
- 3. The audit shall be based on records and, if necessary, performed on the
- spot in the other institutions of the Community and in the Member States. In
- the Member States the audit shall be carried out in liaison with the national
- audit bodies or, if these do not have the necessary powers, with the competent
- national departments. Theses bodies or departments shall inform the Court of
- Auditors whether they intend to take part in the audit.
- The other institutions of the Community and the national audit bodies or, if
- these do not have the necessary powers, the competent national departments,
- shall forward to the Court of Auditors, at its request, any document or
- information necessary to carry out its task.
- 4. The Court of Auditors shall draw up an annual report after the close of
- each financial year. It shall be forwarded to the other institutions of the
- Community and shall be published, together with the replies of these
- institutions to the observations of the Court of Auditors, in the Official
- Journal of the European Communities.
- The Court of Auditors may also, at any time, submit observations, particularly
- in the form of special reports, on specific questions and deliver opinions at
- the request of one of the other institutions of the Community,
- It shall adopt its annual reports, special reports or opinions by a majority
- of its members.
- It shall assist the Europe and Parliament and the Council in exercising their
- powers of control over the implementation of the budget.
- 5. The Court of Auditors shall also draw up a separate annual report stating
- whether the accounting other than that for the expenditure and revenue
- referred to in paragraph 1 and the financial management by the Commission
- relating thereto have been effected in a regular manner. It shall draw up this
- report within six months of the end of the financial year to which the
- accounts refer and shall submit it to the Commission and the Council. The
- Commission shall forward it to the European Parliament."
-
- 15) Article 78c shall be replaced by the following:
- "ARTICLE 78c
- The Commission shall implement the administrative budget, in accordance with
- the provisions of the regulations made pursuant to Article 78h, on its own
- responsibility and within the limits of the appropriations, having regard to
- the principles of sound financial management.
- The regulations shall lay down detailed rules for each institution concerning
- its part in effecting its own expenditure.
- Within the administrative budget, the Commission may, subject to the limits
- and conditions laid down in the regulations made pursuant to Article 78h,
- transfer appropriations from one chapter to another or from one subdivision to
- another."
-
- 16) Articles 78e and 78f shall be repealed.
-
- 17) Article 78g shall be replaced by the following:
- "ARTICLE 78g
- 1. The European Parliament, acting on a recommendation from the Council, which
- shall act by a qualified majority, shall give a discharge to the Commission in
- respect of the implementation of the administrative budget. To this end, the
- Council and the European Parliament in turn shall examine the account and the
- financial statement referred to in Article 78d, the annual report by the Court
- of Auditors together with the replies of the institutions under audit to the
- observations of the Court of Auditors, and any relevant special reports by the
- Court of Auditors.
- 2. Before giving a discharge to the Commission, or for any other purpose in
- connection with the exercise of its powers over the implementation of the
- administrative budget, the European Parliament may ask to hear the Commission
- give evidence with regard to the execution of expenditure or the operation of
- financial control systems. The Commission shall submit any necessary
- information to the European Parliament at the latter's request.
- 3. The Commission shall take all appropriate steps to act on the observations
- in the decisions giving discharge on other observations by the European
- Parliament relating to the execution of expenditure, as well as on comments
- accompanying the recommendations on discharge adopted by the Council.
- At the request of the European Parliament or Council, the Commission shall
- report on the measures taken in the light of these observations and comments
- and in particular on the instructions given to the departments which are
- responsible for the implementation of the administrative budget. These reports
- shall also be forwarded to the Court of Auditors."
-
- 18) Article 78h shall be replaced by the following:
- "ARTICLE 78h
- The Council, acting unanimously on a proposal from the Commission and after
- consulting the European Parliament and obtaining the opinion of the Court of
- Auditors, shall:
- a) make Financial Regulations specifying in particular the procedure to be
- adopted for establishing the implementing the administrative budget and for
- presenting and auditing accounts;
- b) determine the methods and procedure whereby the budget revenue provided
- under the arrangements relating to the Communities' own resources shall be
- made available to the Commission, and determine the measures to be applied, if
- need be, to meet cash requirements;
- c) lay down rules concerning the responsibility of financial controllers,
- authorizing officers and accounting officers, and concerning appropriate
- arrangements for inspection."
-
- 19) The following Article shall be inserted:
- "ARTICLE 78i
- Member States shall take the same measures to counter fraud affecting the
- financial interests of the Community as they take to counter fraud affecting
- their own financial interests.
- Without prejudice to other provisions of this Treaty, Member States shall co-
- ordinate their action aimed at protecting the financial interests of the
- Community against fraud. To this end they shall organize, with the help of the
- Commission, close and regular co-operation between the competent departments
- of their administrations."
-
- 20) Article 79(a) shall be replaced by the following:
- "(a) This Treaty shall not apply to the Faroe Islands."
-
- 21) Articles 96 and 98 shall be repealed.
-